Leadership in the Church as been an issue from the beginning. Jesus points out the tragedy of leaders who say one thing but do another. “Do as I say and not as I do,” will never work for Church leaders. They must embody what they teach: walk the walk. But even more than that, Jesus envisions a style of leadership not founded on authority but on fellowship. Those who are leaders are not to lord it over the rest but to walk with them. One title of the pope is “servant of the servants of God” which captures this thought. (Of course, not every pope has lived that out!) St. Paul’s kind of leadership flows from the preaching of Jesus: We were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children … determined to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our very selves as well. Gentle leadership, founded on tenderness and care, full of self-giving is the model St. Paul holds out. (Remember Jesus’ image of himself as a mother hen?) In the complex world in which the Church finds herself today we need leaders who are like nursing mothers, giving of themselves in service to the needs of others.
